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Thanks for the replies and suggestions guys! Much appreciated, definitely giving me some ideas and pointers on how to proceed.
Tom I think I'll take you up on that hitch, don't care if its rusty as I'll wire wheel it and slather it with POR15 anyhow. Not much local around here so far that I've found so this is a great aid, thank you!
Also, I'm dying for a Philly Cheeseteak from Tony Lukes now that I realize where you're located haha.
Scobie, here are a few pictures of the factory hitch I have available, it has some rust but nothing really serious or deep.
Closer shot of the bottom of the receiver.
Top side.
This is off my '05, so it has the higher weight rating.
And the bigger bolts that give it the higher weight rating are included.
And I welded nuts to the two round headed bolts to make them easier to deal with.
Let me know if it looks OK to you and we can figure out a time to meet up, I'm not in any hurry so don't worry about having to run down here right away if you want it.
A good cheesesteak is always a great idea, sometimes finding a really good one can be challenge though, even around here. My local shop does a good one, I hooked Mecdac up when he was here.
Scobie, here are a few pictures of the factory hitch I have available, it has some rust but nothing really serious or deep.
Let me know if it looks OK to you and we can figure out a time to meet up, I'm not in any hurry so don't worry about having to run down here right away if you want it.
A good cheesesteak is always a great idea, sometimes finding a really good one can be challenge though, even around here. My local shop does a good one, I hooked Mecdac up when he was here.
After a discussion with WE3ZS We came to the conclusion that Supercab corners might be slightly better for the Ex's, although I cannot verify that...
In other news, I drove down to Philly to Toms house and got a new hitch. Great time and met some wonderful people.
Today I had some time to work on the truck so I did the following:
Knocked off all the loose rust from my newly acquired tow hitch. THANK YOU TOM!!!
Wire brushed/coated and basted the whole shebang in POR15, came out decent I think.
Didn't take photos of taking apart my pass side door panel and extracting the door lock actuator, also found out that my hatch door lock actuator is busted too. Went ahead and order a left and right one from Amazon Prime, should be here Monday.
Looking forward to dealing with all the rocker rust...
That came out great! Is POR-15 like the Chassis Saver paint that I have been using that you have to finish it off with a coat of regular paint to keep the black from fading and getting chalky?
Yes, if it is exposed to sunlight. I don't think it's necessary if it's under the car, but if it's exposed, I believe they recommend a top coat to preserve the color and finish.
Originally Posted by WE3ZS
That came out great! Is POR-15 like the Chassis Saver paint that I have been using that you have to finish it off with a coat of regular paint to keep the black from fading and getting chalky?
I don't believe so, will have to fab something up. The back inner fender and inner rocker portions are easy but this will have to be a complex job...
They sell Supercrew rear cab corners but obviously they aren't the same as our covered wagons.
I need to do both rear rockers, and the drivers side rear inner rocker and corner. I've been looking for parts too. In pictures it looks like the crew cab corner is very similar, just might need to slice off the rear portion where it meets the fender and blend it in somehow. I also found two different types of rockers for sale. A smaller one (size of one door) for $60 and a longer one that looks like it goes under both doors for about $30. I can't figure out why the larger one is cheaper and I'm not sure which to order. I'm debating doing the job myself or just dropping it off at a shop but a shop will be $$$$. I'm no expert at body work.
That came out great! Is POR-15 like the Chassis Saver paint that I have been using that you have to finish it off with a coat of regular paint to keep the black from fading and getting chalky?
All thanks to your generosity Tom. I think I might give it a coat of satin black or something now that you mention it, can't hurt I suppose.
Originally Posted by AlaskanEx
Looking good! But I can't help but cringe thinking of the removal/install with the rust the truck has.
LOL me too, I'll be sure to document my suffering however.
Originally Posted by Jeff53
Yes, if it is exposed to sunlight. I don't think it's necessary if it's under the car, but if it's exposed, I believe they recommend a top coat to preserve the color and finish.
I do recall reading that as well on the POR website or something, probably not necessary as you said, since it will be underneath the truck.
Originally Posted by DidieX
I need to do both rear rockers, and the drivers side rear inner rocker and corner. I've been looking for parts too. In pictures it looks like the crew cab corner is very similar, just might need to slice off the rear portion where it meets the fender and blend it in somehow. I also found two different types of rockers for sale. A smaller one (size of one door) for $60 and a longer one that looks like it goes under both doors for about $30. I can't figure out why the larger one is cheaper and I'm not sure which to order. I'm debating doing the job myself or just dropping it off at a shop but a shop will be $$$$. I'm no expert at body work.
Where did you find the outer rocker shells for $30? I'll jump on those if you have a link.
Not 100% sure on the corners as I mentioned above, but I'l find out the hard way I'm sure, unless I come across some salvage yard ones, but I am not counting my chickens. I am not a metal work expert either, so I am sure my results will be non professional to say the least. Will likely have a buddy help me with it, he works on boats and heavy equipment and has more fab experience than I do. Your thoughts on making those cab corners work are similar to mine though, buy the supercrew cab truck and slice off whatever isn't needed/doesn't fit, go from there.
Small update:
Did pass side front and hatch door lock actuators yesterday, easy money for $20. Installed a new mirror switch as well. Was nice to see that the inside of the doors wasn't rusty or anything, I think I'll pour a ton of oil in there though, just as a precaution.
Where did you find the outer rocker shells for $30? I'll jump on those if you have a link.
Not 100% sure on the corners as I mentioned above, but I'l find out the hard way I'm sure, unless I come across some salvage yard ones, but I am not counting my chickens. I am not a metal work expert either, so I am sure my results will be non professional to say the least. Will likely have a buddy help me with it, he works on boats and heavy equipment and has more fab experience than I do. Your thoughts on making those cab corners work are similar to mine though, buy the supercrew cab truck and slice off whatever isn't needed/doesn't fit, go from there.
Take a look. Found it on rockauto under body, rocker panel. Saw it on some other websites too. Also saw b pillars but still no c pillars
Nice thanks for the info. Those look like what I need. Will order them shortly.
More updates:
This weekend the weather was decent which meant it was time to tackle the hitch swapout. All in all it wasn't too bad all things considered. Not having a welder to weld nuts to the 2 carriage bolts meant I had to grind them off...FUN!!!
Started by removing the filler neck and the bumper.
Decided to snap a couple of photos of the damaged hitch.
Due to the way the hitch bent in toward the gas tank/frame crossmember it was impossible to get a socket or even a wrench onto the rear tank bolts. :-/
This shot was taken by me laying on my back and looking up between the hitch/frame, you can see the bolts but you just cant get to them.
A trip to the Harbor Freight was required to get my new friend, Mr Sawzall.
I happened to have a nice new set of Milwaukee bi-metal sawzall blades laying around so they certainly came in handy. Like butter!
At this point the REAL fun started. Dropping the tank was pretty easy, didn't even disconnect anything just laid it out of the way, lines/wiring had plenty of slack. WE3ZS warned me that I would need a torch or a welder to get the 2 carriage bolts out otherwise removal was going to be difficult. Well Tom, you were right lol, it took me probably 2 hours with a grinder/hacksaw to get the bolts out, and also a HUGE thanks for providing me with your "modified" bolts for reinstallation. Carnage below...
Had to also "disassemble" the hitch to make grinding easier, it was junk anyway.
After the grinding and swearing it was easy money.
New hotness... Albeit with old junk bumper, that will be replaced soon enough.
Didn't take pics of me cleaning up and coating the fuel filler neck in POR15 and most of the reassembly.
It was a "fun" day. HUGE thanks again to Tom(WE3ZS) for the generous donation!
04-04-2017, 10:56 AM
